Misc. Comments

My only regret was not having more woodwinds in the score. This piece was created in celebration of my 100th audio submission to Newgrounds.com (although it is not ACTUALLY my 100th Opus, as there are quite a few that were not submitted and several submissions that were not different works). This song is organized in a more traditional four-movement form common of a symphony. Aside from being extremely short compared to a symphony, it differs in the sense that most symphonies are bound together by a common theme or key, but this one is bound together by tempo- the entire song (albeit parts where it slows down) is at 80 BPM.

The four movements:

Maestoso con Brio (majestic with vigor)- (0:00-1:30)

Obscuro alla Marcia (dark, as/like a march)- (1:33-3:04)

Dolce e Grazioso (Sweetly and Gracefully)- (3:05-4:10)

Brillante Con Brio (Brilliantly, with Spirit)- (4:11-5:17)

You can also interpret the movements as characters (thus the title):

The Emperor

The Soldier

The Villager

The Hero

Movement 1 starts off quiet and dark, but rises slowly to a lofty timbre over time. Of the several people who have heard this piece before, they seem to like this movement the best.

Movement 2 is dark through and through until the finale. Horns and trumpets hold dominance here, subjugating even the lofty violins from movement 1. The song is filled with dissonance, combat and a steady beat in the second half.

Movement 3 is a total reversal from movement 2, relaxing and calm, and is both basic and archaic in form, being almost entirely I-IV-V as a folk or church song might be.

Movement 4 is like a charismatic commander preparing his men for combat with an arousing speech. The F min -> F maj motif repeats several times, each time more embellished, until it resolves further into a strong finale.